April 8, 2025 • 24 mins
On today's episode, Jason reacts to Florida's wild comeback win over Houston in the National Championship Game and explains why this tournament should be seen as one of the best Final Fours ever. Jason gives his thoughts on Houston's gaffe of a final play and compares and contrasts it to Chris Webber's infamous Fab Five timeout. Jason celebrates Alexander Ovechkin for passing Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time leading scorer, and Jason explains why media members using NBA comps to contextualize Ovechkin's feat makes no sense.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
What is up, Drake Fire Pamp, It's me Jason McIntyre,
Straight Buyer for Tuesday, April the eighth. Oh my gosh,
we have a game last night. Oh wow, I don't know.
It was a good game, bad game. A lot of fowls.
Refs let him play in the first half, every whistle,
second half for that. Gator's come out on top sixty
(00:32):
five sixty three, a thriller, and it was headed toward
disaster for a little while and then it turned into
a really good game. We'll talk about that. I didn't
get into the Ovechkin breaking the record, so I hopefully
we'll have if we'll have time at the end to
talk a little bit about that. But it is good
to be home hosted to Herd on Monday. Listen, Man,
(00:52):
I know I might sound like I complain a lot, right,
I think everybody's in this this bucket. I really do
love life and I enjoy it, and I'm so fortunate
to be able to do this. Talk about Houston melting
down the same way Duke melted down Saturday. The Houston
(01:13):
fans who were going crazy, just absolutely bonkers over the
incredible comeback and the Duke meltdown. Those same Houston fans
are now feeling what I felt Saturday night. And I'm
not even like a Duke fan, I was just a
fan for the tournament obviously. To Calcutta, I mean, folks,
it is just crazy how Florida all they do is
(01:36):
come back and win these unbelievable NCAA tournament kings. Now,
if you want to zoom out and look at the
macro big picture, a lot of complaints about the tournament.
It was so chocky. Oh there were no really good games.
It was just like blowout city and that was accurate.
But what does that lead to great phenomenal final games?
(02:01):
All of them? All three final four games determined in
essentially the final minute. You don't get that any year
in the NCAA tournament. All this, I mean, it's probably
a little premature, but it certainly feels like this is
going to be talked about as the best final forever.
From a close game perspective, thrillly so Florida Houston was
(02:24):
determined in the final minute. Obviously on Saturday you had
obviously Duke melting down and Houston surging in the final minute.
I'm checking the Florida Auburn play by play to see
what that was in the final minute. So with thirty
seven seconds left, that was eight. They got it down
to five. They got it down to four on Pettiford
(02:47):
free throws, but they never really threatened after that, but
down to four in the final minute. Like hell of
a comeback, by the way by Florida against Auburn Saturday.
We didn't really give that game it's due on the pod. Obviously,
I was out of town and I got to go
another quick shout out to Salt Lake City. Listen, I'd
never been there, crossed Utah off the I wouldn't say
(03:09):
it's a bucket list, you know. I don't play that
game where I'm like, oh, if I've been to all
fifty states, folks, I don't want to go to all
fifty states, and I don't want to offend some of
the audience who may be located in not an undesirable state,
but a place I just don't really have any interest
in going. But now I've been to Utah, I will
say it's a picturesque man. The city of Salt Lake
felt like it's a walkable city. I compare it to Charlotte,
(03:29):
but with mountains, and I thought it was a nice city.
We got good weather fortunately, and I thought it was
a nice city. They have a really good grocery store, Harmon's. Anyways,
I enjoyed my brief forty eight hours in Salt Lake City,
got some work done obviously, watched a lot of women's volleyball,
hung out with some dads. It was not bad other
(03:51):
than the Duke loss, but you get home. Hosted the
Herd on very short sleep. By the way, Salt Lake
City Delta Lounge was kind of sort of popping to
the point where I was like, this is a little
too nice, and people are getting rowdy at the bar.
My son was like, is there a fight gonna happen.
I was like, nah, these are just drunk guys. And
(04:11):
you know. Our flight got delayed of course or in
the airport, and I don't know. Got home really really
early Monday morning on the flight, then got a little sleep,
did the Herd. I was kind of running on fume,
so I'm going to bed early after the natty and
of course one shining moment, but I don't know how
I got sidetracked that badly. Anyways, this is going to
(04:31):
be discussed as one of the greatest Final FOURDS ever.
Number One fun stat the team leading at half lost
both games Saturday and the National Championship. That's pretty bonkers.
So we had three second half comebacks. Now for Florida,
I saw this stat. They trailed Yukon in the second
half by six, They trailed Texas Tech by ten in
(04:51):
the second half, they trailed Auburn by nine Saturday in
the second half, and they trailed Houston by twelve. Now,
if I was a tougher better, I would have totally
cleaned up because I did money line bet. But it
was for peanuts Florida when they were down big. I
talked about it all with my buddy, Shit, we bet
Florida half, and I mean, it just didn't look good
(05:12):
and this Houston team is tough to come back on.
And it's funny. Anytime I don't want to add to
the bet, it usually hits because I'm a woo So
I'm like, I don't see it. I forget what you see.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Jay.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
I gotta do the George Costanza the thing where I
go opposite, and I should have. I would have totally
cleaned up on Florida. But it is a nice hit
to rebound from the duke loss. Florida comes back and
went now to the actual game. I'll get the complaints
out of the way early. So the Florida Gators had
one foul in the entire first half. That's it pretty clearly.
(05:44):
At the halftime, Golden went in and told his guys,
we're getting punked. We got to get more physical, We're
getting pushed around. And Florida came out hell bent in
the second half on just fighting, whether it was inside
to round screens, whatever, and they picked up six fouls
in I think the first Like I have it in
(06:07):
my notes here, it looked like in the first eight
minutes they had six fouls and Houston was shooting the
rest of the way. However, this wasn't the worst thing
in the world, because, as we remember from that Texas
Tech game, Florida is not against the strategy of hey,
we're gonna intentionally foul. These guys put the bad free
throw shooters on the line, and of course Houston only
(06:32):
made nine of fourteen free throws. They missed five, Florida
missed four, but a much higher volume seventeen free throws
made for Florida so Houston. The fouls caught up with Houston,
and I know, I'm sure there's gonna be some people complaining.
Houston got called for nineteen fouls. Flora only had eleven. Folks.
The whistle clearly, and I don't like when refs do this.
So you let them play so much in the first
(06:52):
half that it was like physical combat, and in the
second half they come out they want to play the
same in the rest, like no, no, no, no, no,
we gotta draw them here, and you're just seeing a
whistle every play. It was so choppy. The first ten
minutes of the second half stunk, and then Walter Clayton
woke up, folks. Walter Clayton had zero baskets, made zero
(07:15):
for the first thirty two minutes of the game, and
Florida won. That was the one thing that had me
thinking Florida had a shot at halftime because there are
two horses, Martin and Clayton, who I think average of
combined forty points in the tournament, had one basket total. Now,
(07:36):
Clayton just couldn't get cooking. He started to force some stuff.
He did have a lot of assists. He finished with seven.
Clayton just a smart player and will debate whether or
not he's a pro. I think he's a pro. I
would take him in the first round now late first
round because he's a little on the older side. But again,
I don't want to get too sidetracked. I just hate
how the NBA discussion becomes, Wait a minute, you're gonna
(07:58):
Walter Clayton. He's just small, Like he had a good
tournament and he went to IONA. He's a zero star recruit. Guys, guys, guys,
forget about It's not about what the player cannot do,
which is why everybody whiffs on like a Jalen Brunson
and an Austin Reeves, Well, who can he guard? He
can't guard anybody. Jalen Brunson's too small, Austin Reeves, he
(08:18):
can't guard anybody. These are the complaints. Remember Steph Curry
famously Doug Gottlieb basically was like, who could he guard?
In the NBA, He's not fast enough, and we get
caught up in these stupid narratives and people just whiff
That's why in the NBA there's so many whiffs. Like
when Yokichen Giannis were drafted, trust me, nobody thought they
(08:40):
would be winning MVPs and titles. No body, zero people,
anybody who tells you, oh, when they drafted Giannis, I
knew he would be just shut the hell up. Nobody
had any clue. Now, will Walter Payton be Walter Clayton
be great? I don't know, but I would take a
chance on a high IQ player who has an unbelievable motor.
(09:01):
He is relentless, He's a scoring machine. I know he
had a rough night against Houston, and he just seems
like one of those guys you want in the locker room.
A winner again. Zero baskets for the first thirty two minutes,
and then he erupts with a three point play. Another
three point play. Now Florida's back in the game. And
oh wait a minute, Clayton woke up. We got this
(09:22):
and let me see when the three point plays. So
his first bucket came at the seven to fifty four
mark fast break bucket and one to tie the game.
At that point, you're like, oh, here we go. And
then Clayton made another and one with less than a
minute later to tie it again. And then Clayton came
off a screen and drilled a three. And when he
(09:43):
hit that shot. With three fourteen left, Florida ties it up.
I'm like, okay, they've got this, folks. In the final
three minutes, Houston unbelievable meltdown, which was similar to Duke dupe,
you know, choked. I know people hate that word, but
in the final four minutes, Houston had three points, they
(10:05):
had one basket, and they had five turnovers. The only
basket was a Crier tip in of his own miss
on the drive. I think it was his miss or
it might have been Sharp. And I know we're ten
minutes in and I haven't I haven't crushed you know,
the kid Sharp for the end of the game situation.
I got a problem crushing him because, you know, Chris
(10:29):
Webber called the timeout he didn't have and Seeweb you know,
claims that someone on the bench yelled call timeout and
they didn't have it. Now, I watched the Fab five doc.
I don't know if there's any definitive evidence that somebody
told him to call timeout, but I think this Sharp
mistake is probably online with the Chris Webber timeout, right.
(10:54):
I mean, Sharp is a good player. He is a
twenty one year old junior. He didn't have the greatest
game three of eleven. But Florida wisely, coming out of
the time out with nineteen seconds left, decided we're gonna
blitz u Zan. Remember h fran Frischilla loves that guy.
We're gonna blitz Uzan. And then he goes over to
(11:15):
Crier and we're gonna blitz him too. With the big
and the guard jumping out, We're not giving him anything.
We're not letting their best two players beat us. We're gonna, hey,
you want to toss it to the big guy. And
if Tuggler had fouled out and Francis is kind of
sort of awkward with the ball, he looks like he
could be a player next year. He's that the wingspan
is insane. He had eight point six boards, two blocks.
But I think without question, Florida was totally fine saying, hey,
(11:40):
if you want to throw it to Roberts or Francis
after we blitz the guard, go for it. We have
no problem with him trying to create. Well, Houston didn't
want to do that. They wanted one of their big three,
Uzanne Sharp or Crier to take the final shot. So
u Zan was blitzed. Passes to Cryer, who gets blitzed
and at that point you toss it to and it's like,
(12:00):
oh shoot, we're inside six seconds left, and Sharp's like,
I'm just jacking this and as he goes up for
the shot, guess who Walter Clayton soaring. Now Florida only
was credited with five blocks, but man, those guards. So
Richard had one. Aberdeen, No, no, not Aberdeen. I'm sorry.
Richard had won. Clayton had the one at the end,
(12:22):
and then the bigs jumping out, we're blocking threes from
the Houston players and it was like that length really
bothered the Houston shooters.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 2 (12:43):
So Houston was six of twenty five from three. Florida
wasn't better, six to twenty four. They were both very futrid,
but Houston just didn't have the offense. And Uzann, who
I like, and again Franfriscilla hyped him. If you go
back and listen to the pod, I think u Zan's
a pro. I know he did not have a great
final four. He was five of nineteen, one of eight
(13:03):
from three, three turnovers, three assists. It was not his
finest work, but he's a really good player. Go whack
and watch a Prudu game. He made the Smart inbounds
play score twenty two points to lead them. I kind
of sort of I like him. I don't know if
you should go back to school for another year. He's
a good player. He had a rough game and Clayton
just made a spectacular block on Sharp and it was
(13:26):
it was a bad final minute for Sharp, who had
two turnovers. In the final minute. He dribble one off
his leg drive into the basket, and then that unbelievable ending,
And that's gonna look like the Chris Webber time out
because Clayton. Now, some people were arguing that Clayton looked
like he was gonna jump into Sharp, but the only
person with that best angle was Sharp. He knew what
(13:48):
was up. Could he have stuck his leg out tried
to draw a foul? Sure, maybe, but that meltdown is
a tough way to go final four minutes after the
Francis put back dunk, they had one basket, five turnovers.
Just it's just it reminds me really of what happened
to Duke on Saturday night. And I'm just telling you,
I don't know how Houston fans are dealing. Like, if
(14:09):
you're a Houston grad, jim Nance Elijah Wan, who are
the other Houston guys that were there? I think maybe
Clyde Drexler, they were all there, Like, you just gotta
watch that, and you've got a feel for those guys.
I told you, guys, I coached my daughter in a
basketball tournament recently, and I was just so obsessed with
the way we won that game on a free throw
(14:29):
with one second left. But our player was super smart.
This is a sixth grade girl. She's very she's a
very good player. Was so smart to just toss up
a shot and draw the foul. But coaches have to
teach them, hey, hey, you don't want a foul in
the final five seconds, obviously, and I just want to
play by Clayton and just a brain freeze by Sharp
you had. You have to shoot that, even if it's
(14:50):
just a chuck a one ind it's better than oh
my gosh, I can't shoot this, you know, just brutal,
brutal ending Houston's box scores crazy one guy and figures LJ.
Cryer nineteen points on eighteen shots. Florida had three. Clayton Richard.
Richard had fourteen in the first half. And I like Condon.
I have Condon as a first round pick in my draft.
(15:11):
He's the big, tall, white guy. I know they have
two maybe, oh they have three of them. How haugh,
how ho, however you say it. But I'm just telling
you Condon moves so smooth for a six' eleven. FELLA i,
MEAN i like that guy's. Game only started one game last,
year started thirty four this. Year you could see the
growth in the. DEVELOPMENT i think he goes pro he,
(15:34):
is and, again he's not a great three point shooter
by any. Stretch the volume isn't. There he only had nineteen.
Threes but the stroke looks. Good, however the free throw
shooting is a. Problem, historically there's a correlation. Between, hey
if you can make eighty five percent of your free,
crows you should be a good two above average three point.
Shooter if you're making sixty, percent something's wrong from the
(15:57):
foul line and it may not translate to. Threes it
just my vantage. Point it looks like a good. STROKE
i don't know if he could use more another. Year
BUT i thought he had a very good. Game and you,
know congrats to The. Gators who this, Guy todd Golden.
Man what a. STORY i, mean let me see how
young he. IS i THOUGHT i saw that he. Was,
dude he was born in nineteen eighty. Five he's thirty
(16:20):
nine years. Old what were you guys doing at thirty
nine years? Old, anybody, EVEN i mean some of you
are probably still thirty, nine thirty nine years. OLD i
don't even THINK i was In california.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
YET i.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
DON'T i. Don't thirty nine feels like forever. Ago IF
i could turn back the clock to thirty, nine oh my,
GOSH i would be a beast in the men's. League just,
kidding just, KIDDING i. Did, OH i forgot to take.
GUYS i ran for the first time SINCE i suffered
that leg, injury the, bruise you, REMEMBER i got that
deep bruise right around my like upper, calf and it
was just it WAS i was limping for like two,
(16:51):
weeks AND i decided to run on a treadmill and
it was seemed. Fine, obviously anything near or near the
Calf i'm afraid, of you, know THE a. Word SO
i don't even say that, word by the, Way so it.
Was it's been a little, tight AND i didn't worse,
leave BUT i Think i'll Be ACTUALLY i won't be
hooping this weekend because it's the kids spring, break but uh,
(17:13):
YEAH i hope in the next couple of Weeks i'll
get back on the. Court it's been a long stretch for,
me you, know AND i know you guys care.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Deeply.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Anyway So Florida wincinnati not a huge, shocker as they
were a slight. Favorite so they were one and a
half point. Favorites everybody Bet. HOUSTON i, Said i'm On.
Florida it looked like there was some game day money
coming in on The. Gators people wised up Like. Houston
they did just a constant rock. FIGHT i do feel
a little bad For Kelvin, sampson who's been so close
(17:42):
so many times with This, houston This houston culture that
he's developed. There it's it's pretty awesome to, watch but
a tough one For houston. Fans and uh, yeah that's
the end of the college basketball.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Season Fox Sports radio has the best sports talk lineup
in the. Nation catch all of our shows at foxsports
radio Dot com and within The iHeartRadio app SEARCH fsr
to listen.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Live so let's quickly wrap up With. Ovechkin, SO i
know we don't talk a lot of hockey on, here
BUT i thought the take was, good So i'm just
GONNA i pushed it on the. HURD i don't know
if you guys had heard it or. Not it was
pretty awesome watching THE nhl put its arms Around, ovechkin
(18:29):
led By Wayne. GRETZKY i guess he's considered the greatest
hockey player. Ever that, right that sounds about, right the
great One. Gretzky you, KNOW i know he's had his.
Issue canada doesn't like him now because of political. Stuff
i'm not going. There Where i'm going is he's considered
the greatest of all, time and he was very excited
to Celebrate ovechkin breaking his. Record he traveled With, ovechkin,
(18:55):
essentially he wanted to be. There and it's, like that's pretty,
cool that's really awesome that hockey is embracing. Me it's
been like a like a two or three week celebration
around The league Of. Ovechkin, now WEIRDLY i haven't seen and,
again Maybe i'm not watching The hockey channel if there is,
one But i'm not seeing. Any, Well ovechkin's not really
(19:18):
that good and he's not as good As. GRETZKY i
don't think anybody thinks he's as good As. Gretzky IF
i would need to do the. Research but you, Know
ovechkin's accomplishments aren't really in his. Class they're not really
in his. Class there's not even really a. Debate but
everybody was excited For. OVECHKIN i didn't see a lot
of negativity for many hockey. People well but this and,
(19:38):
that and then you just contrast that with THE. Nba
AND i Know jabbar was there When lebron broke the scoring.
Record that's. Great jabbar is also a seventies era. Guy,
yes he played in the. EIGHTIES i know he was
in a lake. Career he wasn't. Dominant he did get
a FINALS mvp in the, eighties but he was on
the older. Side it just somebody sent me a. Video
(20:01):
did you guys know on the Night jokic had the
sixty one point triple double That shaq came out and, said,
yeah I'd i'd make Him slovenian. Barbecue i've give him
Forty i'm better than, him, essentially that's what you were.
Saying and it's like this whole narrative around THE. Nba
(20:22):
STEVEN A, Smith, YEAH i, would, UH i should. HAVE i,
WOULD i would have Popped, Lebron AND i JUST i
cannot get with. That it's just why do these insecure
guys have to make it about? Themselves AND i was
a Huge shack. GUY i was Pro shack Over kobe
at the. TIME i Thought shaq, was you, know right
(20:45):
there With, wilt one of the most dominant players. EVER
i don't not Like shack. ANYMORE i just Think jokic
is a much more complete. Player and, Overall, yeah if
you're Saying, jay who you, Drafted shack Or, JOKIC i
would Take jokic for the modern. Game that doesn't Mean
shack Is Chop. Liver but the way THESE nba guys
(21:06):
treat the current, era like the disdain that Stephen a
seems to have For, Lebron it's, like, bro all you
do is take shots at the. Guy he has a bad.
Game while he'll never Be jordan what everywhere he's, gone
he's won a. Championship what he's doing in forty is.
Incredible it just strikes me as odd that THE nba
(21:27):
pundits love to take shots at the current era, hockey,
baseball certainly. Football we don't see. That and that's the
big thing THAT i struggle, with and it's, like why is?
That and, insecurity it keeps coming back to me that
that's why or they're just simply protecting what they feel
(21:50):
is the best, era which would be the era they
grew up. With, like, listen, GUYS i love nineteen eighties.
MUSIC i love. IT i have my gym mix and
it's AND i probably have let's just SAY i have
fifty songs on, there SEVENTY i would say twenty to
twenty five or eighty. Songs, oh my gym. Mix on
(22:11):
the flight back From Salt Lake, city No, CAP i
watched the MOVIE A Complete unknown With Timothy. Challamey so
AFTER i finished, THAT i had like twenty five minutes
left in the. Flight let me just see. It Oh
back to The. Future boom that thing comes ON. Tv
i'm watching, it SO i fast forward to the good.
Parts the soundtrack For back to The future is. Unparalleled
it is historically great. Stuff the power of. LOVE i,
(22:34):
mean so many good, songs just banger after, banger AND
i don't get that in today's. MOVIES i don't now
there is a, movie ah, MAN i shouldn't have brought
it up without knowing it off the top of my,
head but there was the movie about like this epic
party that these guys. Threw oh, damn this is. EMBARRASSING
(22:54):
i brought it, up And i'm spacing on the title
of the. Movie but, like that soundtrack is. PHENOMENAL i
guess it was like it. HAPPENED i think it was
out here In california is where the setting. Was but
it was like almost like a club rave at the guy's.
House everything got busted. Up it was not an eighties.
Movie this was like the last fifteen. Years AND i
(23:15):
thought that soundtrack there was some awesome songs That i'd
never heard, before and because the movie was, GREAT i
had those on my. Mix but, ultimately, like, YEAH i
love eighties. Music i'm not gonna trash current. Music, well
the eighties and nineties were. BETTER i just don't do.
THAT i need to get inside the head of people
who do that and just, wonder why do you like?
(23:36):
This you, know and that's not, Nice BUT i don't.
Know that's just kind of how sort of HOW i see,
it and that's my Little ovechkin two cents WHICH i
made about THE nba BECAUSE i know it better than THE.
NHL i could name more players from THE Nhl Sega
genesis game THAN i could the CURRENT. Nhl so there you. Go,
anyways great season in college. BASKETBALL i hope you guys.
Listen final four didn't go great With, duke did go
(24:02):
good With florida in both. Games closed out a pretty monster,
tournament and now you kind of power down and we're
getting ready for THE nba. PLAYOFFS i missed the tournament.
Already One Shining moment was, good not. GREAT i didn't
love how they had the announcers talking over the bum
boom boom Bum bunner du. DONE i just like that.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Music.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Here how's this for? You after, this go to YouTube
and call up like the nineteen ninety three or nineteen
ninety two One Shining. Moment it's so good you could
probably name half the. PLAYERS i don't know they're gonna
be able to name these guys in twenty. Years, anyways
that's a. Ramble i'm out
This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
What is up, Drake Fire Pamp, It's me Jason McIntyre,
Straight Buyer for Tuesday, April the eighth. Oh my gosh,
we have a game last night. Oh wow, I don't know.
It was a good game, bad game. A lot of fowls.
Refs let him play in the first half, every whistle,
second half for that. Gator's come out on top sixty
(00:32):
five sixty three, a thriller, and it was headed toward
disaster for a little while and then it turned into
a really good game. We'll talk about that. I didn't
get into the Ovechkin breaking the record, so I hopefully
we'll have if we'll have time at the end to
talk a little bit about that. But it is good
to be home hosted to Herd on Monday. Listen, Man,
(00:52):
I know I might sound like I complain a lot, right,
I think everybody's in this this bucket. I really do
love life and I enjoy it, and I'm so fortunate
to be able to do this. Talk about Houston melting
down the same way Duke melted down Saturday. The Houston
(01:13):
fans who were going crazy, just absolutely bonkers over the
incredible comeback and the Duke meltdown. Those same Houston fans
are now feeling what I felt Saturday night. And I'm
not even like a Duke fan, I was just a
fan for the tournament obviously. To Calcutta, I mean, folks,
it is just crazy how Florida all they do is
(01:36):
come back and win these unbelievable NCAA tournament kings. Now,
if you want to zoom out and look at the
macro big picture, a lot of complaints about the tournament.
It was so chocky. Oh there were no really good games.
It was just like blowout city and that was accurate.
But what does that lead to great phenomenal final games?
(02:01):
All of them? All three final four games determined in
essentially the final minute. You don't get that any year
in the NCAA tournament. All this, I mean, it's probably
a little premature, but it certainly feels like this is
going to be talked about as the best final forever.
From a close game perspective, thrillly so Florida Houston was
(02:24):
determined in the final minute. Obviously on Saturday you had
obviously Duke melting down and Houston surging in the final minute.
I'm checking the Florida Auburn play by play to see
what that was in the final minute. So with thirty
seven seconds left, that was eight. They got it down
to five. They got it down to four on Pettiford
(02:47):
free throws, but they never really threatened after that, but
down to four in the final minute. Like hell of
a comeback, by the way by Florida against Auburn Saturday.
We didn't really give that game it's due on the pod. Obviously,
I was out of town and I got to go
another quick shout out to Salt Lake City. Listen, I'd
never been there, crossed Utah off the I wouldn't say
(03:09):
it's a bucket list, you know. I don't play that
game where I'm like, oh, if I've been to all
fifty states, folks, I don't want to go to all
fifty states, and I don't want to offend some of
the audience who may be located in not an undesirable state,
but a place I just don't really have any interest
in going. But now I've been to Utah, I will
say it's a picturesque man. The city of Salt Lake
felt like it's a walkable city. I compare it to Charlotte,
(03:29):
but with mountains, and I thought it was a nice city.
We got good weather fortunately, and I thought it was
a nice city. They have a really good grocery store, Harmon's. Anyways,
I enjoyed my brief forty eight hours in Salt Lake City,
got some work done obviously, watched a lot of women's volleyball,
hung out with some dads. It was not bad other
(03:51):
than the Duke loss, but you get home. Hosted the
Herd on very short sleep. By the way, Salt Lake
City Delta Lounge was kind of sort of popping to
the point where I was like, this is a little
too nice, and people are getting rowdy at the bar.
My son was like, is there a fight gonna happen.
I was like, nah, these are just drunk guys. And
(04:11):
you know. Our flight got delayed of course or in
the airport, and I don't know. Got home really really
early Monday morning on the flight, then got a little sleep,
did the Herd. I was kind of running on fume,
so I'm going to bed early after the natty and
of course one shining moment, but I don't know how
I got sidetracked that badly. Anyways, this is going to
(04:31):
be discussed as one of the greatest Final FOURDS ever.
Number One fun stat the team leading at half lost
both games Saturday and the National Championship. That's pretty bonkers.
So we had three second half comebacks. Now for Florida,
I saw this stat. They trailed Yukon in the second
half by six, They trailed Texas Tech by ten in
(04:51):
the second half, they trailed Auburn by nine Saturday in
the second half, and they trailed Houston by twelve. Now,
if I was a tougher better, I would have totally
cleaned up because I did money line bet. But it
was for peanuts Florida when they were down big. I
talked about it all with my buddy, Shit, we bet
Florida half, and I mean, it just didn't look good
(05:12):
and this Houston team is tough to come back on.
And it's funny. Anytime I don't want to add to
the bet, it usually hits because I'm a woo So
I'm like, I don't see it. I forget what you see.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Jay.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
I gotta do the George Costanza the thing where I
go opposite, and I should have. I would have totally
cleaned up on Florida. But it is a nice hit
to rebound from the duke loss. Florida comes back and
went now to the actual game. I'll get the complaints
out of the way early. So the Florida Gators had
one foul in the entire first half. That's it pretty clearly.
(05:44):
At the halftime, Golden went in and told his guys,
we're getting punked. We got to get more physical, We're
getting pushed around. And Florida came out hell bent in
the second half on just fighting, whether it was inside
to round screens, whatever, and they picked up six fouls
in I think the first Like I have it in
(06:07):
my notes here, it looked like in the first eight
minutes they had six fouls and Houston was shooting the
rest of the way. However, this wasn't the worst thing
in the world, because, as we remember from that Texas
Tech game, Florida is not against the strategy of hey,
we're gonna intentionally foul. These guys put the bad free
throw shooters on the line, and of course Houston only
(06:32):
made nine of fourteen free throws. They missed five, Florida
missed four, but a much higher volume seventeen free throws
made for Florida so Houston. The fouls caught up with Houston,
and I know, I'm sure there's gonna be some people complaining.
Houston got called for nineteen fouls. Flora only had eleven. Folks.
The whistle clearly, and I don't like when refs do this.
So you let them play so much in the first
(06:52):
half that it was like physical combat, and in the
second half they come out they want to play the
same in the rest, like no, no, no, no, no,
we gotta draw them here, and you're just seeing a
whistle every play. It was so choppy. The first ten
minutes of the second half stunk, and then Walter Clayton
woke up, folks. Walter Clayton had zero baskets, made zero
(07:15):
for the first thirty two minutes of the game, and
Florida won. That was the one thing that had me
thinking Florida had a shot at halftime because there are
two horses, Martin and Clayton, who I think average of
combined forty points in the tournament, had one basket total. Now,
(07:36):
Clayton just couldn't get cooking. He started to force some stuff.
He did have a lot of assists. He finished with seven.
Clayton just a smart player and will debate whether or
not he's a pro. I think he's a pro. I
would take him in the first round now late first
round because he's a little on the older side. But again,
I don't want to get too sidetracked. I just hate
how the NBA discussion becomes, Wait a minute, you're gonna
(07:58):
Walter Clayton. He's just small, Like he had a good
tournament and he went to IONA. He's a zero star recruit. Guys, guys, guys,
forget about It's not about what the player cannot do,
which is why everybody whiffs on like a Jalen Brunson
and an Austin Reeves, Well, who can he guard? He
can't guard anybody. Jalen Brunson's too small, Austin Reeves, he
(08:18):
can't guard anybody. These are the complaints. Remember Steph Curry
famously Doug Gottlieb basically was like, who could he guard?
In the NBA, He's not fast enough, and we get
caught up in these stupid narratives and people just whiff
That's why in the NBA there's so many whiffs. Like
when Yokichen Giannis were drafted, trust me, nobody thought they
(08:40):
would be winning MVPs and titles. No body, zero people,
anybody who tells you, oh, when they drafted Giannis, I
knew he would be just shut the hell up. Nobody
had any clue. Now, will Walter Payton be Walter Clayton
be great? I don't know, but I would take a
chance on a high IQ player who has an unbelievable motor.
(09:01):
He is relentless, He's a scoring machine. I know he
had a rough night against Houston, and he just seems
like one of those guys you want in the locker room.
A winner again. Zero baskets for the first thirty two minutes,
and then he erupts with a three point play. Another
three point play. Now Florida's back in the game. And
oh wait a minute, Clayton woke up. We got this
(09:22):
and let me see when the three point plays. So
his first bucket came at the seven to fifty four
mark fast break bucket and one to tie the game.
At that point, you're like, oh, here we go. And
then Clayton made another and one with less than a
minute later to tie it again. And then Clayton came
off a screen and drilled a three. And when he
(09:43):
hit that shot. With three fourteen left, Florida ties it up.
I'm like, okay, they've got this, folks. In the final
three minutes, Houston unbelievable meltdown, which was similar to Duke dupe,
you know, choked. I know people hate that word, but
in the final four minutes, Houston had three points, they
(10:05):
had one basket, and they had five turnovers. The only
basket was a Crier tip in of his own miss
on the drive. I think it was his miss or
it might have been Sharp. And I know we're ten
minutes in and I haven't I haven't crushed you know,
the kid Sharp for the end of the game situation.
I got a problem crushing him because, you know, Chris
(10:29):
Webber called the timeout he didn't have and Seeweb you know,
claims that someone on the bench yelled call timeout and
they didn't have it. Now, I watched the Fab five doc.
I don't know if there's any definitive evidence that somebody
told him to call timeout, but I think this Sharp
mistake is probably online with the Chris Webber timeout, right.
(10:54):
I mean, Sharp is a good player. He is a
twenty one year old junior. He didn't have the greatest
game three of eleven. But Florida wisely, coming out of
the time out with nineteen seconds left, decided we're gonna
blitz u Zan. Remember h fran Frischilla loves that guy.
We're gonna blitz Uzan. And then he goes over to
(11:15):
Crier and we're gonna blitz him too. With the big
and the guard jumping out, We're not giving him anything.
We're not letting their best two players beat us. We're gonna, hey,
you want to toss it to the big guy. And
if Tuggler had fouled out and Francis is kind of
sort of awkward with the ball, he looks like he
could be a player next year. He's that the wingspan
is insane. He had eight point six boards, two blocks.
But I think without question, Florida was totally fine saying, hey,
(11:40):
if you want to throw it to Roberts or Francis
after we blitz the guard, go for it. We have
no problem with him trying to create. Well, Houston didn't
want to do that. They wanted one of their big three,
Uzanne Sharp or Crier to take the final shot. So
u Zan was blitzed. Passes to Cryer, who gets blitzed
and at that point you toss it to and it's like,
(12:00):
oh shoot, we're inside six seconds left, and Sharp's like,
I'm just jacking this and as he goes up for
the shot, guess who Walter Clayton soaring. Now Florida only
was credited with five blocks, but man, those guards. So
Richard had one. Aberdeen, No, no, not Aberdeen. I'm sorry.
Richard had won. Clayton had the one at the end,
(12:22):
and then the bigs jumping out, we're blocking threes from
the Houston players and it was like that length really
bothered the Houston shooters.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
the nation. Catch all of our shows at Foxsports Radio
dot com and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to
listen live.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
So Houston was six of twenty five from three. Florida
wasn't better, six to twenty four. They were both very futrid,
but Houston just didn't have the offense. And Uzann, who
I like, and again Franfriscilla hyped him. If you go
back and listen to the pod, I think u Zan's
a pro. I know he did not have a great
final four. He was five of nineteen, one of eight
(13:03):
from three, three turnovers, three assists. It was not his
finest work, but he's a really good player. Go whack
and watch a Prudu game. He made the Smart inbounds
play score twenty two points to lead them. I kind
of sort of I like him. I don't know if
you should go back to school for another year. He's
a good player. He had a rough game and Clayton
just made a spectacular block on Sharp and it was
(13:26):
it was a bad final minute for Sharp, who had
two turnovers. In the final minute. He dribble one off
his leg drive into the basket, and then that unbelievable ending,
And that's gonna look like the Chris Webber time out
because Clayton. Now, some people were arguing that Clayton looked
like he was gonna jump into Sharp, but the only
person with that best angle was Sharp. He knew what
(13:48):
was up. Could he have stuck his leg out tried
to draw a foul? Sure, maybe, but that meltdown is
a tough way to go final four minutes after the
Francis put back dunk, they had one basket, five turnovers.
Just it's just it reminds me really of what happened
to Duke on Saturday night. And I'm just telling you,
I don't know how Houston fans are dealing. Like, if
(14:09):
you're a Houston grad, jim Nance Elijah Wan, who are
the other Houston guys that were there? I think maybe
Clyde Drexler, they were all there, Like, you just gotta
watch that, and you've got a feel for those guys.
I told you, guys, I coached my daughter in a
basketball tournament recently, and I was just so obsessed with
the way we won that game on a free throw
(14:29):
with one second left. But our player was super smart.
This is a sixth grade girl. She's very she's a
very good player. Was so smart to just toss up
a shot and draw the foul. But coaches have to
teach them, hey, hey, you don't want a foul in
the final five seconds, obviously, and I just want to
play by Clayton and just a brain freeze by Sharp
you had. You have to shoot that, even if it's
(14:50):
just a chuck a one ind it's better than oh
my gosh, I can't shoot this, you know, just brutal,
brutal ending Houston's box scores crazy one guy and figures LJ.
Cryer nineteen points on eighteen shots. Florida had three. Clayton Richard.
Richard had fourteen in the first half. And I like Condon.
I have Condon as a first round pick in my draft.
(15:11):
He's the big, tall, white guy. I know they have
two maybe, oh they have three of them. How haugh,
how ho, however you say it. But I'm just telling
you Condon moves so smooth for a six' eleven. FELLA i,
MEAN i like that guy's. Game only started one game last,
year started thirty four this. Year you could see the
growth in the. DEVELOPMENT i think he goes pro he,
(15:34):
is and, again he's not a great three point shooter
by any. Stretch the volume isn't. There he only had nineteen.
Threes but the stroke looks. Good, however the free throw
shooting is a. Problem, historically there's a correlation. Between, hey
if you can make eighty five percent of your free,
crows you should be a good two above average three point.
Shooter if you're making sixty, percent something's wrong from the
(15:57):
foul line and it may not translate to. Threes it
just my vantage. Point it looks like a good. STROKE
i don't know if he could use more another. Year
BUT i thought he had a very good. Game and you,
know congrats to The. Gators who this, Guy todd Golden.
Man what a. STORY i, mean let me see how
young he. IS i THOUGHT i saw that he. Was,
dude he was born in nineteen eighty. Five he's thirty
(16:20):
nine years. Old what were you guys doing at thirty
nine years? Old, anybody, EVEN i mean some of you
are probably still thirty, nine thirty nine years. OLD i
don't even THINK i was In california.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
YET i.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
DON'T i. Don't thirty nine feels like forever. Ago IF
i could turn back the clock to thirty, nine oh my,
GOSH i would be a beast in the men's. League just,
kidding just, KIDDING i. Did, OH i forgot to take.
GUYS i ran for the first time SINCE i suffered
that leg, injury the, bruise you, REMEMBER i got that
deep bruise right around my like upper, calf and it
was just it WAS i was limping for like two,
(16:51):
weeks AND i decided to run on a treadmill and
it was seemed. Fine, obviously anything near or near the
Calf i'm afraid, of you, know THE a. Word SO
i don't even say that, word by the, Way so it.
Was it's been a little, tight AND i didn't worse,
leave BUT i Think i'll Be ACTUALLY i won't be
hooping this weekend because it's the kids spring, break but uh,
(17:13):
YEAH i hope in the next couple of Weeks i'll
get back on the. Court it's been a long stretch for,
me you, know AND i know you guys care.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Deeply.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
Anyway So Florida wincinnati not a huge, shocker as they
were a slight. Favorite so they were one and a
half point. Favorites everybody Bet. HOUSTON i, Said i'm On.
Florida it looked like there was some game day money
coming in on The. Gators people wised up Like. Houston
they did just a constant rock. FIGHT i do feel
a little bad For Kelvin, sampson who's been so close
(17:42):
so many times with This, houston This houston culture that
he's developed. There it's it's pretty awesome to, watch but
a tough one For houston. Fans and uh, yeah that's
the end of the college basketball.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
Season Fox Sports radio has the best sports talk lineup
in the. Nation catch all of our shows at foxsports
radio Dot com and within The iHeartRadio app SEARCH fsr
to listen.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Live so let's quickly wrap up With. Ovechkin, SO i
know we don't talk a lot of hockey on, here
BUT i thought the take was, good So i'm just
GONNA i pushed it on the. HURD i don't know
if you guys had heard it or. Not it was
pretty awesome watching THE nhl put its arms Around, ovechkin
(18:29):
led By Wayne. GRETZKY i guess he's considered the greatest
hockey player. Ever that, right that sounds about, right the
great One. Gretzky you, KNOW i know he's had his.
Issue canada doesn't like him now because of political. Stuff
i'm not going. There Where i'm going is he's considered
the greatest of all, time and he was very excited
to Celebrate ovechkin breaking his. Record he traveled With, ovechkin,
(18:55):
essentially he wanted to be. There and it's, like that's pretty,
cool that's really awesome that hockey is embracing. Me it's
been like a like a two or three week celebration
around The league Of. Ovechkin, now WEIRDLY i haven't seen and,
again Maybe i'm not watching The hockey channel if there is,
one But i'm not seeing. Any, Well ovechkin's not really
(19:18):
that good and he's not as good As. GRETZKY i
don't think anybody thinks he's as good As. Gretzky IF
i would need to do the. Research but you, Know
ovechkin's accomplishments aren't really in his. Class they're not really
in his. Class there's not even really a. Debate but
everybody was excited For. OVECHKIN i didn't see a lot
of negativity for many hockey. People well but this and,
(19:38):
that and then you just contrast that with THE. Nba
AND i Know jabbar was there When lebron broke the scoring.
Record that's. Great jabbar is also a seventies era. Guy,
yes he played in the. EIGHTIES i know he was
in a lake. Career he wasn't. Dominant he did get
a FINALS mvp in the, eighties but he was on
the older. Side it just somebody sent me a. Video
(20:01):
did you guys know on the Night jokic had the
sixty one point triple double That shaq came out and, said,
yeah I'd i'd make Him slovenian. Barbecue i've give him
Forty i'm better than, him, essentially that's what you were.
Saying and it's like this whole narrative around THE. Nba
(20:22):
STEVEN A, Smith, YEAH i, would, UH i should. HAVE i,
WOULD i would have Popped, Lebron AND i JUST i
cannot get with. That it's just why do these insecure
guys have to make it about? Themselves AND i was
a Huge shack. GUY i was Pro shack Over kobe
at the. TIME i Thought shaq, was you, know right
(20:45):
there With, wilt one of the most dominant players. EVER
i don't not Like shack. ANYMORE i just Think jokic
is a much more complete. Player and, Overall, yeah if
you're Saying, jay who you, Drafted shack Or, JOKIC i
would Take jokic for the modern. Game that doesn't Mean
shack Is Chop. Liver but the way THESE nba guys
(21:06):
treat the current, era like the disdain that Stephen a
seems to have For, Lebron it's, like, bro all you
do is take shots at the. Guy he has a bad.
Game while he'll never Be jordan what everywhere he's, gone
he's won a. Championship what he's doing in forty is.
Incredible it just strikes me as odd that THE nba
(21:27):
pundits love to take shots at the current era, hockey,
baseball certainly. Football we don't see. That and that's the
big thing THAT i struggle, with and it's, like why is?
That and, insecurity it keeps coming back to me that
that's why or they're just simply protecting what they feel
(21:50):
is the best, era which would be the era they
grew up. With, like, listen, GUYS i love nineteen eighties.
MUSIC i love. IT i have my gym mix and
it's AND i probably have let's just SAY i have
fifty songs on, there SEVENTY i would say twenty to
twenty five or eighty. Songs, oh my gym. Mix on
(22:11):
the flight back From Salt Lake, city No, CAP i
watched the MOVIE A Complete unknown With Timothy. Challamey so
AFTER i finished, THAT i had like twenty five minutes
left in the. Flight let me just see. It Oh
back to The. Future boom that thing comes ON. Tv
i'm watching, it SO i fast forward to the good.
Parts the soundtrack For back to The future is. Unparalleled
it is historically great. Stuff the power of. LOVE i,
(22:34):
mean so many good, songs just banger after, banger AND
i don't get that in today's. MOVIES i don't now
there is a, movie ah, MAN i shouldn't have brought
it up without knowing it off the top of my,
head but there was the movie about like this epic
party that these guys. Threw oh, damn this is. EMBARRASSING
(22:54):
i brought it, up And i'm spacing on the title
of the. Movie but, like that soundtrack is. PHENOMENAL i
guess it was like it. HAPPENED i think it was
out here In california is where the setting. Was but
it was like almost like a club rave at the guy's.
House everything got busted. Up it was not an eighties.
Movie this was like the last fifteen. Years AND i
(23:15):
thought that soundtrack there was some awesome songs That i'd
never heard, before and because the movie was, GREAT i
had those on my. Mix but, ultimately, like, YEAH i
love eighties. Music i'm not gonna trash current. Music, well
the eighties and nineties were. BETTER i just don't do.
THAT i need to get inside the head of people
who do that and just, wonder why do you like?
(23:36):
This you, know and that's not, Nice BUT i don't.
Know that's just kind of how sort of HOW i see,
it and that's my Little ovechkin two cents WHICH i
made about THE nba BECAUSE i know it better than THE.
NHL i could name more players from THE Nhl Sega
genesis game THAN i could the CURRENT. Nhl so there you. Go,
anyways great season in college. BASKETBALL i hope you guys.
Listen final four didn't go great With, duke did go
(24:02):
good With florida in both. Games closed out a pretty monster,
tournament and now you kind of power down and we're
getting ready for THE nba. PLAYOFFS i missed the tournament.
Already One Shining moment was, good not. GREAT i didn't
love how they had the announcers talking over the bum
boom boom Bum bunner du. DONE i just like that.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Music.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Here how's this for? You after, this go to YouTube
and call up like the nineteen ninety three or nineteen
ninety two One Shining. Moment it's so good you could
probably name half the. PLAYERS i don't know they're gonna
be able to name these guys in twenty. Years, anyways
that's a. Ramble i'm out
Host
Jason McIntyre
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